Comment | 3
WBPI – the voice of the global panel industry O
ne of the chief questions I was asked at the LIGNA exhibition in Hannover during May was: “where do you think the market is headed?” Wood-based panels producers are keenly looking for more optimistic signals after a challenging two years of trade.
My usual answer is to point to some statistics, which show a slowly improving curve. Here in the UK, where the WBPI office is based, you can see an uptick in construction projects moving forward and some encouraging evidence in building materials sales.
It’s certainly tentative and it’s not everything, but it’s something and shows things appear to be moving in the right direction. The European Panel Federation (EPF) released its
provisional production stats for the European wood- based panels industry at Interzum. The figures – which show a total 1.9% growth for
European wood-based panels output in 2024 – is not stellar and has to be seen in light of a low base and a subdued industry in the previous 12-month comparison period. But it is something, and OSB output in particular looked relatively healthy with a 4% production increase. MDF, PB and plywood all recorded a 1% rise in
output. Softboard recorded an 8% growth. The EPF said construction and furniture industries had declined in 2024, so the uptick in production was a growth in market share. Hopefully some more positive signs will add some momentum to this stabilisation, but EPF
❯ FOCUS ON MDF: PART 2 Our second look at MDF manufacturing capacities and markets, this time focusing on the rest of the world
❯ SPECIAL FEATURE: RECYCLED WOOD Recycled wood is becoming important as a raw material stream
❯ EPF AGM We report from this major annual gathering in Berlin
www.wbpionline.com | June/July 2025 | WBPI
admits 2025 will still prove to be challenging. New EPF managing director Matti Rantanen is certainly hoping the start of his new term leading the EPF will coincide with an industry rally. I interviewed Mr Rantanen for this issue (see p12). His background in politics, lobbying and leading industry associations gives him a good skillset to lead the EPF through this next phase. He grew up surrounded by forests in Finland and he was first elected to political office on his city council at the age of 19. That experience gave him a taste of being an underdog and taught him to prepare meticulously for the job – no doubt he will be calling on those instincts as he walks the corridors of power in Brussels seeking to elevate the case of the panels sector before policy makers. In this issue we also feature our LIGNA Review (see p30). I spent four days in Hannover speaking to technology company exhibitors and panel producer visitors alike.
Around 78,000 visitors attended the show, fewer
than two years ago, and while numbers felt slightly fewer in Hall 26 (wood-based panels production), the majority of exhibitors seemed fairly satisfied with the enquiries they had. Less machinery displayed and more use of multimedia is a theme at LIGNA these days. The two biggest talking points were MDF recycling and artificial intelligence.
Stephen Powney
www.wbpionline.com
GROUP EDITOR
❯ PLUS REGULARS Including all the news relevant to our industry, which will be covered in depth and will also appear, as it happens, on our website:
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